Former Manteca Unified School District Trustee Sam Fant has been sentenced to 120 days in the county jail and five years of probation for his involvement in the recruitment of two candidates to the school board who weren’t qualified to run for the position.
On Tuesday, Fant, who was facing four felony counts for reportedly assisting both Alexander Bronson and Ashley Drain in their successful bid to get elected to the Manteca school board during the 204 election despite not meeting the residency requirements, pled no contest to a lesser charge in a deal that Attorney Ralph Cingcon made with prosecutors that led to the remainder of the charges being dismissed.
“Upon the advice of counsel, I’ve decided to resolve this case and put this matter behind me,” Fant said in a prepared statement. “My actions and work that I’ve done and that I will continue to do to advance my community will speak volumes over the next few years.
“Experiencing the San Joaquin County judicial system firsthand has been truly humbling and enlightening.”
The charge of violating California Election Code Section 18100 (a), which Fant was not initially charged with 16 months ago when the district attorney announced that they would be pursuing a case against him, states that “every person who willfully causes, procures, or allows himself or herself or any other person to be registered as a voter, knowing that he or she or that other person is not entitled to registration, is punishable by imprisonment.” The charge is a felony, although according to Cingcon, the plea includes a provision for Fant to request that it be reclassified to a misdemeanor after a period of three years. If approved, the reclassification would effectively end his felony probation, and allow him to later pursue expungement from his permanent record, not to mention possibly running for elected office again in the State of California.
Fant referred most questions about the case to his attorney when contacted by phone on Tuesday, but said that he plans to stay in San Joaquin County and continue working for his community with the same dedication and intensity that he always has.
Cingcon, when reached by telephone, said that Fant won’t end up serving any time in jail because he’s eligible for a variety of programs – the alternative work program and home confinement, for example – that will satisfy the equivalency laid out in the sentencing.
“I’ve known Sam’s family for a long time and people that he has worked closely with and he’s a good man that wants to continue fighting for what he believes in,” Cingcon said. “He cares very much about his community and wants to continue the work that he cares so much about.”
Fant’s sentencing marks the end of a nearly three-year long process revolving around the Manteca Unified Board of Education that began with the upset victory of Drain and Bronson over incumbents. Within months of being sworn-in to their new positons, the San Joaquin County DA announced charges against both of them, and while Bronson resigned immediately and subsequently took a plea deal, Drain took the case to trial and was convicted of felony election fraud and welfare fraud – 11 charges in total – earlier this year. She is now seeking a new trial after a juror was dismissed during deliberations.
Fant’s charges came to light after the preliminary hearings for both Drain and Bronson revealed information about his supposed involvement in their usage of a fraudulent address to qualify for the ballot. As part of his plea deal, Bronson – who is expected to be sentenced later this month – was slated to testify against Fant.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.